Adventure Magazine Cover — page 66: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

60 took from his girdle rattled in the massive lock. “T will see to the matter of a reward for tidings of those accursed swine, the ka- saks : ‘“‘Accursed swine yourself!’ boomed Ayub indignantly, out of the darkness. The big Cossack had been growing restive as a horse and the insult was too much for his patience. “Open this cage and I'll cut your bristles od Michael started and swore under his breath. No help for it—the janizary gave a shout and jerked to free the key. But in the same instant the cavalier passed his simitar through the iron-work and through the body of the officer. Pulling it free, he turned the key in the lock with his left hand, and Ayub shoved mightily at the gate. The janizaries pressed it on the other side; swords flashed and Michael turned aside a thrust that would have split his companion’s head. Then he caught Ayub by the arm and flung himself aside with the Cossack as horses raced up and their followers spurred against the gate. It swung open under the weight of the horses, and for a minute there was rapid sword play. Several of the Moslems turned to flee but were cut down by the riders and soon there was no other sound than the heavy breathing of the horses within the deep shadow of the wall. The bodies of the guards were pulled out of sight and Michael was satisfied that the fight had been ignored by any who had heard it within the near-by alleys. Brawls among the jazinaries were commonplace and this was the night of the cineh. Hassan had betaken himself else- where, unharmed. Posting two of the Cossacks at the wall where they could not be seen, he ordered the essau} to close the gate and guard it until they returned. Broad Breeches saluted, and drew back reluctantly as they trotted off keeping to the cleared ground by the wall where no one could see them against the lights of the alleys. They went through the quarter of the Jews, where the houses were shut and barred during the festival and the folk within doors. Once or twice they avoided patrols of janizaries, and fumbled through blind arcades where lights gleamed from cellars and the reek of opium was in the Adventure air. Beggars started up out of stairways and stared in bewilderment at the huge bodies of the dark riders, the high black hats and the gleaming sabers. No Cossacks had penetrated into Islam before and the rumor spread in the alleys that the djzwm had come down from the air and were riding winged steeds toward the palace. But Michael and his men outstripped the rumors, and, guided by the dark bulk of the Wolf’s Ear, reached the steep, rock-strewn slope that led to the rear of the palace. Here they halted under some plane trees and Michael ordered five of the ten to dis- mount and follow him. Climbing the slope as Demid directed, he moved under the base of the tower, to where he could touch the wall. Then, spreading out his followers he searched among the heaped boulders until. he came to a hollow in deep shadow, where small rocks were piled on either side the depres- sion. Here the air was colder and, dropping into the depression, he felt the mouth of a narrow passage, open before him. And he heard the clash of weapons from within, and the triumphant shout of Moslems. “ERhIl’’ cried Ayub, heedless of caution. ‘““Demid is betrayed!” XIT A woman’s wit is sharp as the dagger of a Rift thief; a woman’s soul is like a covered mirror wherein no man can behold truth with his eyes until the veil is drawn. AL-UD-DEEN, the treasurer of Sidi Ahmad, was taking a reading of the stars in the cupola of the tower when the third hour of the night drew toward its close. His vulture-like skull gleamed under a red lamp as it bent over a Persian zodiac, and a table of the movements of the planets. Glancing up from time to time, he peered from an open square in the dome at the pin points of fire in the heavens that were stars. Old was Jal-ud-deen, old and shrewd and cautious. Skilled in astrology, he was about to take the reading of Sidi Ahmad’s birth star. ‘Fortune has served me,’’ murmured the pasha. ‘‘Aye, time brings its fulfillment and the day when my standard will be raised in Islam.” Lying full length on a sofa, only his eyes COmiclboolks (©